Method and system for improving basketball shooting

ABSTRACT

A method and system are provided for increasing shots-made frequency by educating a player&#39;s eye and memory through repetitions at one or more specified distance locations from the basketball hoop, and then building on that information by progressively increasing the distance from the hoop through sequential steps to additional sets of repetitions taken at greater distances from the hoop. In one aspect, a shooter must make a first plurality of shots at a threshold success frequency to advance to a second location. Thresholds may be selected from previous success or other data input; divergent thresholds or shot set total numbers for shot locations. In one aspect, the plurality of markings are arrayed in a plurality of radial lines. In one aspect a second party verifies that a shooter meets at least one threshold.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Priority is claimed of U.S. Provisional Patent Application by ThomasOwen Montie for “A Method for Teaching Basketball Shooting,” filed Apr.4, 2005, U.S. Ser. No. 60/668,009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of basketball and morespecifically to a method for teaching and practicing basketballshooting.

The nexus of basketball is to get the basketball through the basketballhoop. Basketball players are divided into two competing teams and theteam with the highest score, i.e. most baskets made, is the winner.Accordingly, it is desired to improve the frequency of successful shotsmade relative to attempts made by each shooter on a team in order toincrease the overall team score and win the game.

Thus, it is common to instruct shooters to improve their shots-madefrequency. This is commonly accomplished by educating a player's eye andmemory through multiple shooting repetitions in practice sessions,wherein a shooter positions him or herself at a given distance ofinterest from the hoop and practices multiple repetitions at thatdistance. However, such a system or method does not fully developshooting ability at other distances or positions on the floor. Moreover,by focusing on a problem or otherwise important fixed location ordistance, a low shots-made frequency may result in unproductive practicetime, or even the development of bad habits that translate to lowershots-made frequencies at other locations on the basketball court.

Other methods and systems may incorporate shooting aid equipment thatattach to the basketball hoop, to the arm or leg of the shooter, or thatmust be positioned on the basketball playing surface. Such aids must bepositioned anew at every practice session. Disadvantages include therequirement of additional equipment to be installed before and removedafter every practice session. Typically, the equipment requiresmodification dependent on the user's size.

Prior methods of teaching basketball shooting are also deficient in thatthey do not consistently position the shooter on the basketball court atspecified distances relative to the hoop. The prior methods also do notuse a systematic sequence of steps from one predetermined position tothe next.

What is needed is an improved system and method for improving basketballshooting that systematically improves shots-made frequency at specified,readily identifiable and repeatable locations on the basketball court.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and system are provided for improving the frequency ofsuccessful shots made relative to attempts made. In one aspect, theshots-made frequency is increased by educating a player's eye and memorythrough repetitions at one or more specified close distance locationsfrom the basketball hoop, and then building on that information byprogressively increasing the distance from the hoop through sequentialsteps to additional sets of repetitions taken at greater distances fromthe hoop.

In one aspect, an object of the invention is to provide a betterbasketball shooting practice method that results in improved free throw,bank shot and jump shot shooting accuracy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a better basketballshooting practice method that results in the basketball shooter havingmuch improved confidence in his shooting ability from any point on thebasketball court during the game.

Another object of the invention is to provide a practice apparatus thatrequires only a one-time installation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a practice method that,once the apparatus has been installed on the playing surface, requiresonly a basketball player, a basketball hoop and a basketball.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a practice method thatis usable by all ages.

Still yet another object of the invention is to provide a betterbasketball shooting practice method that is the standard for allbasketball players and all basketball teams.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, anembodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In one aspect, there is disclosed a method for teaching basketballshooting comprising the sequential steps of: positioning of the playerat the first marking, attempting to shoot the basketball into thebasketball hoop, recording the number of attempts that did not gothrough the hoop, recording the number of attempts that did go throughthe hoop, positioning of the player at the second marking, and repeatingthe sequence through the remainder of the markings.

In another aspect, there is disclosed an apparatus and system forimproving basketball shooting success frequency comprising a pluralityof markings applied to a basketball playing surface, the plurality ofmarkings spaced from each other in at least one radial line, the radialline defined from a first center point through a second point, thecenter point defined on the basketball playing surface directly beneatha center of a basketball hoop, and at least one scoring device to recordat least one of missed shot attempt data and successful shot attemptdata for each of the plurality of markings.

In one aspect, a system includes at least one advancement rule, theadvancement rule comprising a requirement that a shooter positioning ata first location on a basketball floor make a first plurality ofattempts to shoot the ball into the basket at a threshold successfrequency, the rule further comprising a requirement to stop shooting ifthe shooter fails to meet the threshold success frequency, or theshooter repositions at a second location on a basketball floor if theshooter meets the threshold success frequency.

In one aspect, a means for selecting the threshold success frequencyselects in response from a data input. In another aspect, the means forselecting the threshold success frequency is configured to increase aninitial level threshold for the first location to a higher secondarythreshold for subsequent shot attempt sets at the first location inresponse to a previous shot attempt set at the first location having ashots-made frequency greater than or equal to the initial levelthreshold. In one aspect, divergent shot-made thresholds or shot settotal numbers for each of the first and second marking shot locationsare provided.

In one aspect, the plurality of markings are arrayed in a plurality ofradial lines, each of the radial lines defined from a first center pointdefined on the basketball playing surface directly beneath a center of abasketball hoop. In another aspect, the plurality of radial linescomprises a center foul line; left and right 30° angle lines eachoriented 30° from the foul line; left and right 60° angle lines eachoriented 60° from the foul line; and left and right 90° angle lines eachoriented 90° from the foul line. In another aspect, each of the markingsis spaced from an adjacent marking in a common radial line a commonspacing of about one foot/0.3 meters.

In one aspect, a method for improving basketball shooting successfrequency is provided comprising the steps of positioning a shooter at afirst location on a basketball floor; the shooter making a firstplurality of attempts to shoot the ball into the basket; determining asuccess frequency of the plurality of attempts; either ending the methodif the success frequency is lower than a threshold, or the shooterrepositioning at a second location on a basketball floor if the successfrequency is not lower than the threshold; and the shooter making asecond plurality of attempts to shoot the ball into the basket at thesecond position; and determining a success frequency of the secondplurality of attempts. In one aspect, the second location is fartherfrom the basket than the first location.

In another aspect, a method further comprises the steps of recording anumber of attempts of the first plurality that did not go through thebasket; and recording a number of attempts of the first plurality thatdid go through the basket.

In another aspect, a method comprises the steps of providing a pluralityof markings applied to a basketball playing surface, wherein theplurality of markings are arrayed in a plurality of radial lines, eachof the radial lines defined from a first center point defined on thebasketball playing surface directly beneath a center of a basketballhoop, wherein the first location is common with a plurality of markingsfirst near marking and the second location is common with a plurality ofmarkings second far marking, the second far marking located distal tothe center point relative to the first near marking; and a shooterprogressively making sets of shot attempts at each of a plurality ofmarkings within a first one of the radial lines, starting with aninitial marking and progressing outward from the basket to a lastmarking farther from the basket relative to the initial markingdependent upon meeting a shots-made frequency threshold for each of thepreceding marking.

In one aspect, a method further comprises selecting at least onethreshold from a data input. In another aspect, divergent shot-madethresholds or shot set total numbers are provided for each of the firstand second locations. In one aspect, a method comprises increasing aninitial level threshold for a first location to a higher secondarythreshold for subsequent shot attempt sets at the first location inresponse to a previous shot attempt set at the first location having ashots-made frequency greater than or equal to the initial levelthreshold. And, in one aspect, a method comprises a step of a secondparty verifying that a shooter meets at least one threshold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and includeexemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in variousforms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects ofthe invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate anunderstanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a basketball court surface incorporating asystem and method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another plan view of a basketball court surface incorporatinga system and method according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a form according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of another form according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of another form according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of another form according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of another form according to the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning first to FIG. 1, there is shown a plan view of a portion of abasketball court floor 10 with the markings 5 according to the presentinvention applied to it. A basketball hoop 1 is located above andparallel to the basketball court floor 10.

The top of the rim of the hoop 1 is generally located 10 feet/3.05meters above the basketball court floor 10 for adult players, althoughthis height may vary for alternative game dimensions. For example, it iscommon to use lower heights for younger players. Moreover, specificdimensions provided herein are for illustrative purposes only, and thepractice of the systems and methods of the present invention are notlimited to practice with any specific dimension.

In one aspect, the center 2 of the basketball hoop 1 is projectedvertically downward directly normal to and onto the surface of thebasketball court 10 and is used as a point of reference for othercomponents, as will be described presently. A standard free-throw line 3is also provided. This is typically located 13 feet/3.96 meters from thefront of the hoop 1 as projected vertically downward directly normal tothe basketball court floor 10. A free throw line arc 4 may be projectedalong a radius dimension defined from the projected center 2 of thebasketball hoop 1 to the center 33 of the free throw line 3.

In one aspect, a plurality of shot location markers 5 is provided forindicating locations for practice shots by a shooter. In one aspect, theplurality of shot location markers 5 are distributed over the basketballcourt 10 to provide a comprehensive coverage of a portion of thebasketball court 10, wherein a practicing shooter may systematicallyeducate his or her eye and memory through multiple shooting repetitionsat each shot location marker 5 in practice sessions, and therebyachieving improved shots-made accuracy from multiple locations withinthe portion of the basketball court 10 comprehended.

For example, in one embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, seventy-seven shotlocation markers 5 are provided in a free throw area 18 between the freethrow line arc 4 and the hoop projection 1, of which there are elevenshot location markers 5 on each of seven marker lines 12. A first markerline 12 a (hereinafter the “zero-angle line” 12 a) is oriented withrespect to the foul line center 33, with a farthest shot location marker5 k located on the foul line center and the remainder ten shot locationmarkers 5 arrayed a common spacing distance 8 toward the hoop centerpoint 2, the common spacing distance 8 in the present embodiment equalto about one foot/0.3 meters, the closest zero-angle marker line 12 amarker 5 a located a distance 21 of about 3 feet/0.9 meters from thehoop center projection 2.

Left marker line 12 b and right marker line 12 c of eleven markers 5spaced the common spacing distance 8 each are oriented on either side ofthe zero angle line 12 a, the lines 12 b and 12 c oriented to includethe hoop center projection 2 and each separated from the zero-angle line12 a line by a common angle 6 of 30° (the “30° angle lines” 12 b and 12c). Additional left marker line 12 d and right marker line 12 e ofeleven markers 5 each spaced the common spacing distance 8 are alsooriented on either side of the zero angle line 12 a and to include thehoop center projection 2, wherein left line 12 d is separated fromadjacent left 30° angle line 12 b by the common angle 6 of 30° and,therefore, separated from the zero-angle line 12 a line by a total angleof 60°; and right line 12 e is separated from adjacent right 30° angleline 12 c by the common angle 6 of 30° and, therefore, separated fromthe zero-angle line 12 a line by a total angle of 60° (the “60° anglelines” 12 d and 12 e).

And lastly, additional left marker line 12 f and right marker line 12 gof eleven markers 5 each spaced the common spacing distance 8 are alsooriented on either side of the zero angle line 12 a generally parallelto the base line 14 of the basketball court surface 10 and including thehoop center projection 2, wherein left line 12 f is separated fromadjacent left 60° angle line 12 d by the common angle 6 of 30° and,therefore, separated from the zero-angle line 12 a line by a total angleof 90°; and right line 12 g is separated from adjacent right 60° angleline 12 e by the common angle 6 of 30° and, therefore, separated fromthe zero-angle line 12 a line by a total angle of 90° (the “90° anglelines” 12 f and 12 g).

Each marking 5 has an identifier 9 number or other character foridentification. In one example, the closest markers 5 a are labeled “1”,and each with adjacent markers in each line 12 labeled with increasingnumber labels as the distance from the hoop center 2 increases. Thus,the seventh marker 5 g in each line 12 will be labeled “7” asillustrated in the detail view provided in FIG. 1, and the farthestmarkers 5 k labeled “11”. It is thus apparent that any specific marker 5will be identifiable by referring to its line 12 and marker 5 label 9;for example, “left 60° marker 7.”

Turning next to FIG. 2, there is shown a plan view of the basketballcourt 10 with additional markings 5 l through 5 q according to thepresent invention spaced the common spacing distance 8 from each otheras described above along the marker lines 12, more particularly relativeto a three-point area 20 which lies outside the free-throw line arc 4and is defined relative to a three-point arc 25. As is well known in theart, the three-point arc 25 is optionally incorporated onto a standardbasketball court surface 10, wherein shots made by a player whose feetare located on the basketball court surface 10 beyond the three-pointarc 25 relative to the hoop 10 are awarded three points, in contrast totwo points awarded for shots made on the basketball court surface 10within the three-point arc 25.

In one aspect, the markings 5 l-5 q within the three-point area 20 mayoptionally bear different marking labels 29 to distinguish them frommarkings 5 within the free-throw line arc 4. For example, “3-4” maydesignate a fourth marking 5 beyond the free throw line arc 4 on any oneof the marker lines 12. In another aspect, markings 5 r beyond thethree-point area 20 may also bear a further distinguishing label (notillustrated).

In the present embodiment, the distance 28 from the free-throw line arc4 to the three-point arc 25 is about six feet/1.8 meters, although otherdistances 28 or dimensions may be practiced according to applicableagreement, rules or standards. For example, in the United States,college and high school regulations generally specify that thethree-point arc 25 is determined by selecting a point 5.25 feet/1.60meters on a straight line normal to the base line 14 and then tracingthe three-point arc 25 of about 19.75 feet/6 meters. However, thespecific distance 28 or dimensions of the three-point arc 25 are notcritical to the invention, and other configurations may be practiced.

Accordingly, in one embodiment seventy-seven shot location markers 5 areprovided within the free-throw line arc 4, forty-two shot locationmarkers 5 l-5 q are provided within the three-point arc 25, and sevenmore shot location markers 5 r are provided beyond the three-point arc25, each providing discrete and readily identifiable locations topractice repetitive shooting and build eye-hand coordination, musclememory and confidence, thereby increasing the frequency of shots made.

In another aspect, a system and method are provided for performing setsof shots at designated markings 5. In one aspect, a marking 5 may bechosen on a progressively increasing distance from the hoop 10 basisrelative to a previously chosen marking 5. For example, a basketballshooter positions him or herself at a first marking 5 of one of themarker lines 12 and attempts a specific number of shots. The number ofattempts may be specified or may vary. In one aspect, the number ofattempts may be dependent upon a demonstrated shots-made frequencyproficiency level. Upon conclusion of the set of shots, the shootermoves outward to a second marking 5 further from the hoop 1 as comparedto the first marking 5 and then performs another set of shots. Theprogression may be further conditioned upon a demonstrated shots-madefrequency proficiency level at the first marking 5.

For example, in one system and method example, a basketball shooterpositions himself at a “no. 1” marking 5 a closest to the hoop 1 of thezero-angle line marker line 12 a and attempts a specific number of shotsin one set. In one aspect, it is preferred that the number of attemptsin the set will vary between five and ten at marking 5 a, and at eachsubsequent marking 5. Set sizes of from five to ten have been found toproduce increases in shots-made frequencies for shooters within anefficient total practice timeframe; however, it will be apparent thatother set sizes may be practiced. In one aspect, the proficiency levelof the shooter may determine the number of attempts. Generally, it ispreferred that as a shooter becomes more proficient, a set size selectedincreases.

When the shot set is complete at marking 5 a, the shooter moves in asequential progression from marking “no. 1” 5 a to marking “no. 11” 5 kat the center 33 of the foul line 3. In one aspect, a shooter then movesto another line 12 and repeats the process of shooting a predeterminednumber of attempts beginning with the closest marking “no. 1” 5 a andprogressing to marking “no. 11” 5 k. In another aspect, a shooter mayinstead continue to progress outward through the markings 5 l-5 q withinthe three-point area 20 to the marking 5 r beyond the three-point area20.

The zero-angle line marker line 12 a is generally chosen as the initialmarker line 12, in order to enable progress in a timely and efficientmanner to practice shots at the marker 5 k at the center 33 of the foulline 3. As a high shots-made frequency for foul shots may be critical towinning a basketball game, wherein foul shots may be awarded on anincreasing basis at the end of a game to a player's team, in one aspectimprovement to foul line shots-made frequency is an important objectiveto the system and method taught herein. However, other goals may beserved by the present invention, and divergent progressions and shotsets may be readily practiced according to the present invention inorder to develop improved shots-made frequencies at one or more othermarkings 5.

In one aspect, a system and method for progression through the markings5 dependent upon proficiency is provided. Referring now to FIG. 3, ashooter demonstrates a first proficiency level in an initial “5for5”evolution as described by the 5for5 worksheet 300. In a firstproficiency level evolution, a shooter is instructed at upper left box302 a to attempt a set of five shots at the closest marking “no. 1” 5 aof zero-angle line marker line 12 a. The shooter progressively movesdown this first chart column 310 to attempt sets of five shots at eachof the next zero-angle line marker line 12 a markers 5 as instructed bythe chart boxes 302 a through 302 j.

In one aspect, a first level of proficiency is demonstrated by achievingone of one or more specified shots-made frequency requirements.Accordingly, a goal of the shooter is to make every one of the five shotattempts at each of the first six markers, and the shooter is otherwiserequired to miss no more than twelve shots total of the 55 shotsattempted at the eleven markers 5, thereby evidencing a 78% shots-madefrequency, including 100% from the first 6 markers 5.

In one aspect, the 5for 5 worksheet 300 provides entry blocks for theshooter to record his or her results. More particularly, whereindicated, the shooter fills in name 314, date 316 and day 318 ofattempts, and the number of shots actually made at each of the farthestmarkers 5 from the hoop 1 on zero-angle line 12 a, numbers 7 through 11as shown on the form boxes 302 g through 302 j. Each column also has anumber of miss tally boxes 320 equaling the number of permissiblemisses. For example, on the 5for5 worksheet 300, there are twelve misstally boxes 320 at the bottom of each column. As is apparent, the boxeshelp a shooter keep track of performance for each day attempted.Alternative embodiments may also provide for entry of actual shots madefor the first six markers 5.

In one aspect, once twelve misses are exceeded, then the shootingpractice session ends; it is preferred that the shooter records his orher performance as indicated on the form, thereby showing shots madeprior to the thirteenth miss. In a preferred embodiment, a shootershould have no misses from the first six markers 5, thus “5/5” entriesare pre-printed in these first six blocks 302. This may be suggested ora mandatory requirement for proficiency.

In one aspect, by recording results on the form, shooter data isaccumulated for study. The practice data may be used by the shooter, ora coach working with the player, or even a centralized remote coachingservice, to make practice recommendations to the shooter for performanceimprovement. Historical performance data may also be tracked for otherdata analysis purposes. In one aspect, a coaching program or algorithmmay output practice tips or evolution-based from shooter performancedata input.

For the shooter's next attempts at proving proficiency, each of the nextcolumns 310 are progressively used for each evolution attempt to proveproficiency, with the results again recorded and session identityrecorded, such as day or other session identifier if more than oneevolution is attempted per day. Although it is generally preferred thatno more than one evolution be attempted per day, in some methods andsystems more than one evolution may be attempted on a given day. In oneaspect, when a shooter makes less than twelve misses over the 55 shotevolution, the shooter has demonstrated proficiency and may move on to anext level.

In one aspect, additional forms may be used to evidence proficiencyand/or otherwise provide a means for capture of data. In one example, aPlayer's Qualification form 400 is illustrated in FIG. 4, which providesfor date data entries 402, shooter name data entries 404, one or morewitness data entries 406, and actual observed performance data entries408. Forms and worksheets according to the present invention may provideproficiency charts (not shown) or other overview information for everylevel contemplated, such as expected shots-made frequencies fordifferent levels, in order to provide an overall orientation to theprogram for a shooter. This may inform the shooter of the proficienciesrequired for this first level, and for each of more subsequent levels.

In another aspect, a Coach's Validation form 500 is illustrated in FIG.5. As is apparent, this may be used by a coach or other person to verifyproficiency by having the player demonstrate in the coach's presence.Thus, the form 500 provides for date data entries 502, shooter name dataentries 504, coach or other witness data entries 506, and actualperformance data entries 508. In one aspect, validation performance maybe scaled back in number of attempts while maintaining a requiredproficient shots-made frequency threshold. Thus, in one example, onlythree attempts need be made at each of the eleven markings 5 in thepresence of the coach or other verifier, but the same proficientfrequency is required. Therefore, as shown by a threshold notice 510,the shooter must make a total of 14 of 18 shots to demonstrate the 78%achieved in accomplishing this first level (fifty-five attempts with nomore than twelve misses). It will be apparent that this increases timeefficiencies for coach's validation evolutions, enabling quickervalidations, and more validation per day for each coach.

In one example, achievement of the proscribed proficiency levelqualifies the shooter to move to a next level described by a “6for6”worksheet 600 of FIG. 6. In a similar fashion to the “5for5” worksheet300, the shooter fills in name 614, date 616 and day 618 of attempts,and shots made at boxes 602 for each of the farthest markers 5 from thehoop 1 on zero-angle line 12 a, numbers 7 through 11 as shown on theform boxes 602 g through 602 j. Each column also has a number of misstally boxes 620 equaling the number of permissible misses. For example,on this 6for6 worksheet 600, there are thirteen miss tally boxes 620 atthe bottom of each column, for a proficiency requirement of 80% for the“free throw” zero-angle line marker line 12 a. Accordingly, in oneaspect, the number of attempts made per marker 5 in each set isincreased, as is the required shots-made frequency percentage.

In another aspect, at second and/or subsequent levels the shooter mustnow also demonstrate proficiency through sets of shots at additionalmarkers 5. In the present embodiment, the shooter must now perform shotsets at the first eleven markers of each of the 60° angle lines 12 d and12 e within indicated thresholds. In one aspect, the number of shotsand/or proficiency threshold may vary from those specified for the freethrow zero-angle line marker line 12 a. In the present embodiment shown,a second worksheet 700 in FIG. 7 for the 60° angle lines 12 d and 12 eis provided, with entry blanks for entry as generally described abovewith respect to sheets 300 and 600, and that specifies a divergent (inthis case lower) shot set of four for each of the first eleven markers 5and requires a divergent proficiency percentage (again, in this caselower, 70%, no more than thirteen misses).

Thus, in one aspect, differentiation in shot set number and/orshots-made frequency percentages are provided between and/or within agiven proficiency level. The amount of differentiation and/or specificshot set number and/or shots-made frequency percentages may bepredetermined for all shooters, in a standard method and system designedto be used consistently by all shooters. Differentiation may bedetermined in response to one or more factors, such as a generallyexpected increase in difficulty level, or a choice to focus on someselected shots as generally more important than others. In anotheraspect, shot set number and/or shots-made frequency percentagedifferentiation may be customized and set in response to one or morefactors, such as an individual shooter or team shooter demographic (suchas, for example, age, sex, height, etc.); a need to reduce practicetimes or shot repetitions (such as due to injury recovery); throughfeedback from shooter performance in previous sessions (which mayindicate extra shots at some positions); or through other factors.

In one aspect, player and/or coaches' validations sheets may also beprovided for the second and any subsequent level. Alternativeembodiments may utilize other or additional markers for any level. Othermarker lines 12 may be selected or more distant markers 5 l-5 r may beadded or substituted in any line 12.

In another aspect, the nature of the specific shot technique may also bespecified by the present system and method. For example, referring againto FIG. 7, as the worksheet 700 illustrates, the shooter is instructedto attempt only “bank shots” from the 60° angle lines 12 d and 12 emarkers 5. In one aspect, it is believed that bank shots have thehighest probability of success in a game situation from these locationsand, thus, the system and method instruct that the practice setscomprise bank shots. Alternative embodiments may otherwise instruct ashooter to make “jump shots”, or a combination of bank shots and jumpshots, from these or from any other of the markers 5. In this fashion,the present system and method also provide for a systematic method forimproving shots-made frequencies for a specific type of shooting,optionally from one or more specific locations on the basketball floor.

In one aspect, the use of the present teaching method and systempromotes and improves the ability of the basketball player to shoot thebasketball through the basketball hoop successfully from any spot on thebasketball court. It is believed that comprehensive shots-made frequencyimprovement is accomplished throughout the entire free-throw area 18and/or three-point area 20 and regions adjacent and between thethree-point markers 5 r due to the quantity and locations of themarkings 5 on the basketball court surface 10. For example, byrepetitive practicing from the 7^(th) markers 5 g located on the 60°angle line 12 d and the 30° angle line 12 b, that a shooter will alsoimprove his or her shots-made frequency from shot locations along andadjacent to the radius 30 illustrated in FIG. 1 connecting these twomarkers 5 g, at shots taken from such locations will seem to the shooterto be from the about same distance from the hoop and from a similar andfamiliar visual angle. The more that a shot feels like one that has beenmade successfully in the past, the more that a shooter will relax andlet his or her well-practiced muscle memory takeover, thereby improvingactual shots—made frequency.

This is also further reinforced and accomplished by another aspect ofthe present invention, wherein it is preferred that the shooter practiceinitially at the closest markings 5, and progressively shoot furtherfrom the basket hoop for subsequent sets of shots. It is believed thatthe shooter's confidence is improved by beginning with the easiest shotsfirst, and that by slowly increasing shooting distance for each set ofshots, that the next set of shots will not seem to the shooter to bevery much farther (or more difficult) than the previous set of shots.Therefore, once the shooter arrives at the farther markings 5 in anygiven line 12, said farther markings will seem to present an easier shotthan if the farthest markings 5 are selected instead for thecommencement of practice, as is common with prior art systems andmethods. The shooter is also incrementally building upon the hand-eyecoordination and muscle memory achieved at each of the closer markings 5and, therefore, is much more prepared to make successful shots whenshots are finally attempted from the farther markings 5 (such as, forexample, markers at the foul shot distance marker 5 k and those beyond 5l-5 r).

It is believed that improvement in shooter's shots-made frequencies isfurther enabled by a consistent practice at the same shot locations foreach practice session, or level attempted. Accordingly, in anotheraspect, it is preferred that the specific locations of the markings 5relative to the hoop 1 remain fixed and unchanging from day to day,practice session to practice session. This may be accomplished in anumber of ways. In one example, adhesive or permanently affixed marking5 and/or associated label 9 and/or 29 decals may be applied to thebasketball court surface 10. Although this may be appropriate both inindoor and outdoor settings, superior durability will be apparent if thedecals are fixed to indoor basketball court flooring and protectivetransparent coatings are applied thereto, such as, for example,polyurethane protective floor finishes covering details affixed towooden basketball flooring. The markings 5 and/or associated labels 9and/or 29 may also be painted directly to the basketball court surface.

Alternative embodiments of the markings 5 and/or associated labels 9and/or 29 may also comprise light components. For example, the markings5 and/or associated labels 9 and/or 29 may comprise light componentsvisible to the shooter's eye, such as self-illuminating incandescent,LED, LCD, fluorescent or any other type of light element. Such lightelements may be further configured to be selectively lighted; therebyonly those markings to be used in a specific set of shots or practiceevolution need be lighted for a specific shooter.

In another aspect, projected light systems and methods may be used toprovide the markings 5 and/or associated labels 9 and/or 29. Forexample, one or more light projecting apparatus(es) (not shown) may bepositioned to project the markings 5 and/or associated labels 9 and/or29 upon the basketball floor. In another hybrid decal and projectionsystem, the markings 5 and/or associated labels 9 and/or 29 may beconfigured to be visible only when a specific input is provided; forexample, only when illuminated with a specific light wavelength, such asinfrared, ultraviolet, or any specific visible color(s) wavelength.Thus, the present system and method may be configured to be visible orapparent upon the basketball surface only when desired, in order toprevent unwanted floor markings from visually interfering with otheruses of the basketball court surface outside of practice sessions, orotherwise requiring unwanted visibility of the markings 5 and/orassociated labels 9 and/or 29.

In another aspect, worksheets according to the present invention may beproduced in typical paper form. They may be tangibly configured forattachment or permanently affixed to or laminated upon clipboards, thusproviding advantages in use at practice facilities that lack writingsurfaces, such as gymnasiums. They may be printed onto to erasablemedia, such as dry-erase marker boards, enabling more than one user touse the form, enter their data, and then copy to another more permanentsource if needed. The forms may also be incorporated into software andused with PC's, tablet PC's, PDA's, cellular phone screens, or any othertype of image screen or electronic display device, preferably oneconfigured to receive input data.

As referred to generally above, shooter's performance data may beaccumulated and processed through computer processing systems andmethods, including local and network processor resources. The processeddata may be used to provide individualized training regimens andotherwise revise the level(s) being practiced by the shooter. It mayalso be used as feedback to revise general programs and systems.

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein.It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may beembodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed hereinare not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for theclaims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the artto employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailedsystem, structure or manner.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, anembodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

1. A system for improving basketball shooting success frequency,comprising: a plurality of markings applied to a basketball playingsurface, the plurality of markings spaced from each other in at leastone radial line, the radial line defined from a first center pointthrough a second point, the center point defined on the basketballplaying surface directly beneath a center of a basketball hoop; and atleast one scoring device to record at least one of missed shot attemptdata and successful shot attempt data for each of the plurality ofmarkings.
 2. A system for claim 1 including at least one advancementrule, the advancement rule comprising a requirement that a shooterpositioning at a first location on a basketball floor make a firstplurality of attempts to shoot the ball into the basket at a thresholdsuccess frequency; the rule further comprising a requirement to stopshooting if the shooter fails to meet the threshold success frequency,or the shooter repositions at a second location on a basketball floor ifthe shooter meets the threshold success frequency.
 3. The system ofclaim 2, further comprising a means for selecting the threshold successfrequency in response from a data input.
 4. The system of claim 3wherein the means for selecting the threshold success frequency isconfigured to increase an initial level threshold for the first locationto a higher secondary threshold for subsequent shot attempt sets at thefirst location in response to a previous shot attempt set at the firstlocation having a shots-made frequency greater than or equal to theinitial level threshold.
 5. The system of claim 2 further comprisingdivergent shot-made thresholds or shot set total numbers for each of thefirst and second marking shot locations.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of markings are arrayed in a plurality of radiallines, each of the radial lines defined from a first center pointdefined on the basketball playing surface directly beneath a center of abasketball hoop.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein: the plurality ofradial lines comprises a center foul line, the center foul line definedfrom the first center point to a second point located at about thecenter of a basketball court foul line; the plurality of radial linesfurther comprising a left 30° angle line oriented at a 30° angle left ofthe center foul line; the plurality of radial lines further comprising aright 30° angle line oriented at a 30° angle right of the center foulline; the plurality of radial lines further comprising a left 60° angleline oriented at a 60° angle left of the center foul line; the pluralityof radial lines further comprising a right 60° angle line oriented at a60° angle right of the center foul line; the plurality of radial linesfurther comprising a left 90° angle line oriented at a 90° angle left ofthe center foul line; and the plurality of radial lines furthercomprising a right 90° angle line oriented at a 90° angle right of thecenter foul line.
 8. The system of claim 7 wherein each of the markingsis spaced from an adjacent marking in a common radial line a commonspacing of about one foot/0.3 meters.
 9. A method for improvingbasketball shooting success frequency comprising the steps of: a shooterpositioning at a first location on a basketball floor; the shootermaking a first plurality of attempts to shoot the ball into the basket;determining a success frequency of the plurality of attempts; eitherending the method if the success frequency is lower than a threshold, orthe shooter repositioning at a second location on a basketball floor ifthe success frequency is not lower than the threshold; and the shootermaking a second plurality of attempts to shoot the ball into the basketat the second position; and determining a success frequency of thesecond plurality of attempts.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein thesecond location is farther from the basket than the first location. 11.The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of: recording anumber of attempts of the first plurality that did not go through thebasket; and recording a number of attempts of the first plurality thatdid go through the basket.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprisingthe steps of: providing a plurality of markings applied to a basketballplaying surface, wherein the plurality of markings are arrayed in aplurality of radial lines, each of the radial lines defined from a firstcenter point defined on the basketball playing surface directly beneatha center of a basketball hoop; wherein the first location is common witha plurality of markings first near marking and the second location iscommon with a plurality of markings second far marking, the second farmarking located distal to the center point relative to the first nearmarking; and a shooter progressively making sets of shot attempts ateach of a plurality of markings within a first one of the radial lines,starting with an initial marking and progressing outward from the basketto a last marking farther from the basket relative to the initialmarking dependent upon meeting a shots-made frequency threshold for eachof preceding marking.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein: the pluralityof radial lines comprises a center foul line, the center foul linedefined from the first center point to a second point located at aboutthe center of a basketball court foul line; the plurality of radiallines further comprising a left 30° angle line oriented at a 30° angleleft of the center foul line; the plurality of radial lines furthercomprising a right 30° angle line oriented at a 30° angle right of thecenter foul line; the plurality of radial lines further comprising aleft 60° angle line oriented at a 60° angle left of the center foulline; the plurality of radial lines further comprising a right 60° angleline oriented at a 60° angle right of the center foul line; theplurality of radial lines further comprising a left 90° angle lineoriented at a 90° angle left of the center foul line; and the pluralityof radial lines further comprising a right 90° angle line oriented at a90° angle right of the center foul line.
 14. The method of claim 13wherein each of the markings is spaced from an adjacent marking in acommon radial line a common spacing of about one foot/0.3 meters. 15.The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of: the shootermoving to an initial marking of a second of the radial lines dependentupon meeting the shots-made frequency threshold at the last marking ofthe first line; and progressively making sets of shot attempts at eachof a plurality of markings within the second radial lines, starting withthe second line initial marking and progressing outward from the basketto a second line last marking farther from the basket relative to thesecond line initial marking dependent upon meeting a shots-madefrequency threshold for each preceding marking.
 16. The method of claim15 further comprising the step of selecting at least one of thethresholds from a data input.
 17. The method of claim 15 furthercomprising the step of providing divergent shot-made thresholds or shotset total numbers for each of the first and second locations.
 18. Themethod of claim 15 further comprising the step of increasing an initiallevel threshold for the first location to a higher secondary thresholdfor subsequent shot attempt sets at the first location in response to aprevious shot attempt set at the first location having a shots-madefrequency greater than or equal to the initial level threshold.
 19. Themethod of claim 15 further comprising the step of a second partyverifying that the shooter meets at least one threshold.